Dillard Settles Religious Bias Case

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has reached with Dillard Department Stores Inc. what it says is the nation’s first settlement of a case of religious discrimination against job applicants.

Dillard agreed not to require employees to work on their sabbath, not to tell prospective applicants they must work on Saturdays or Sundays, and not to screen or discourage applicants who can’t work on those two days.

The company also agreed to make hiring decisions without regard to scheduling issues created by applicants’ religious beliefs or practices.

A Dillard spokesman said the case arose from one manager’s misunderstanding of the company’s “long-standing policy of religious accommodation.”